Side wall core taking apparatus



Dec.v30, 19441. G; T. oBERwE'r'n-:R

SIDE WALL GORE TAKING PPARATUS Filed July 15, 1940 zsheets-sheet 1Dak-30, l941 G. T. oBERwET-rER Y SIDE WALL CORE TAKING APPARATUS FiledJuly 15, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 wu www@ 650265 7.'. BElawrz-EQ 3 lo.5,4 2 3 8 2 22 2 .2 .",Z4U. un 4 4 3 2 6A m 2, w Mw n n f, J 4 wzPatented 30, 1 941 SIDE WAIL'OEE TAKING APPARATUS George T. Oberwetter,Houston, Tex., assignor of two-thirds to Nell West, Harris County, Tex.

' Application July 15, 1940, serial No. 345,628

(ci. zas- 1.4)

, 13 Claims.

This invention relates yto a side wall core taking apparatus.

An object of the invention is 'to provide apparatus of the characterdescribed which 'may be lowered through a drill stem and projected outthrough a guide in the stem and into the formation at the side of thebore and which includes a core receiving barrel to receive and entrap acore, or sample, of the side wall formation, said apparatus beingwithdrawable through the stem to the ground surface for the recovery andinspection of the core.

It is another object of the invention to. provide a side wall coretakingdevice which includes a core receiving barrel and a guide, orshield therefor, said apparatus including means for forcing the corebarrel out of the shield and into the formation at the side of the borebeing drilled. y l

It is a further object of the invention to provide in apparatus of thecharacter described novel means for driving the core barrel whereby itmay be caused to pierce the formation at the side of the bore and form acore of said formation which will enter and be trapped within the corebarrel.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particularrelation to certain novel features of construction, operation andarrangement of parts, examples of which are given Ain this specificationand villustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: v

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the apparatus shown mounted in thestem, a fragmentary view of the latter being shown partly in section.

Figure 2 shows a fragmentary, vertical, sectional view of the drill stemshowing a fluid conducting pipe therein for use when the core takingapparatus is removed.

Figure 3 shows a vertical sectional view of a tubular anchor employedshowing the cable guide .therein in its upper position.

Figure 4 shows a similarview showing said guide in its lower position. Y

Figure 5 shows a fragmentary, vertical, section- `al view illustratingthe core barrel guide or shield Iwith the core barrel therein and the-driving mechanism forthe barrel.-

the same parts in each of the figures, the numeral I designates thedrill stem which is made up of sections and which extends to the groundsurface.

Incorporated into `the stem the required distance above the drill arethe special, relatively thick, upper and lower sections Ia,` Ib to thelower end of the latter of which there is connected a drill collar 2providing for the attachment of the drill to the stem. Y

The drill stem is tubular throughout and at? one side of the section Ibthere is an elongated downwardly flaredslot leading downwardly andoutwardly from the passage through the stem. At the lower end of theslot there is a dee'ctor 4 whose upper end is mounted to pivot on thepin 5. A spring 6 is mounted on the pin 5 one arm of which pressesagainst the inside of the section Ib and whose other end engages behindthe deflector 4 and normally holds the same in its outward or deiiectingposition. A recess 1 is provided within the section Ib to receive thedeilector 4 when the latter is in retracted position as shown in Figure2. The Joints between the sections of the thickened portion of the drillstem may be sealed by annular packing such as 8, 9 and III. y ,A

The numeral I I designates an elongated, sleevelike anchor whose upperend is enlarged forming the head I2 Ywhich tapers downwardly and isseated against and supported by the packing 8 whenthe apparatus islowered to home position in the stem. The headI I2 has an inside,downwardly facing shoulder I3. l

Telescoped within the anchor II there is a cable guide which ispreferably formed of an outside tubular Jacket Il and an inside core I5preferably formed of insulating material. Electrical conductors I8, I6extend axially through the cable guide and continue on up to the groundsurface. v

The numeral I I designates a barrel guide, or shield, which is tubularin form and which is open at its lower end. Its upper end has auniversal connection with the anchor II as shown in Figures 3 to 6,inclusive. This connection is formed by the tubular stem I8 connectedtothe upper end of the shield and whose upper end is formed with a balljoint member I9 confined within a socket formed within the glands 20, 2Iin the lower end of the anchor II. The conductors I6 extend through saidjoint connections as shown.-

With the shield I I there is a core-barrel 22 whose lower end may beserrated. if desired,

` as the core enters.

forming a core drill and within said lower end there is a conventionalcore catcher 23 to retain the core which enters the barrel. The upperend of the barrel has the outlets 24 controlled by the upwardly openingball valve 25 so as to permit the escape of any foreign matter in thecore barrel In the form shown in Figure there is an electro-magnetichammer embodying the tubular housing 26 within which there are the upperand lower electro-magnets 21,l 26 containing the slidable core 29 andhaving the upper and lower anvils 30, 3|. The electrical conductors I6are connected to the respective electro-magnets and it is contemplatedthat at the ground surface the conductors I6 will be controlled by anintermitter whereby the electromagnets may be alternately energized anddeenergized so as to osclllate the hammer 29 against the anvils. Thecore barrel is connected to the lower end of the housing 26 so that whenthe apparatus is lowered into the well as shown in Figure 1 and thecable through which it is lowered released or slacked off, the corebarrel and the hammer will be released to the inuence of gravity. Thelower end of the shield I1 will engage against the sidewall of the boreas indicated in Figure 1 and the shield will serve as a guide to guidethe core barrel into the wall. The operation of the hammer combined withthe influence of gravity will cause the core barrel to penetrate thewall of the bore downwardly in a direction alongside the bore butdiverging slightly downwardly and outwardly from the bore so as to enterthe formation. The core `of the formation' will thus be formed whichwill enter the core barrel and be entrapped therein. The vibrationimparted to the core barrel by the hammer combined with the force ofgravity will gradually force the core barrel downwardly but saidvibration will prevent it from sticking in the formation so that itcannot be withdrawn.

The operating cable has not been shown but it may be of any conventionaltype provided with a grapple for engaging over the conical shaped head32 carried by the upper end of the jacket I4.

In the illustration shown in Figure 6 there is an electric motor 33located in the housing 26 whose windings are connected with theconductors I6 and which has a driven shaft 34 operatively connected withthe corresponding core barrel 22 through the reduction gearing 36whereby said core barrel may be rotated. `When this form of theapparatus is lowered to home position' in the drill stem a switch at theground surface may be closed for connecting the conductors I6 with asource of electrical supply whereupon the motor 33 will be driven andthe core barrel 22 rotated. As the operating cable is slacked off themotor and core barrel will move downwardly through the guide I'I and thecore barrel will penetrate into the formation at the side of the boreforming a core which will enter and be entrapped in the core barrel. Inboth forms as the core barrel moves downwardly the cable guide I4, I5will move downwardly with it until said guide lands on the gland 20.

When it is desired to withdraw the core barrel, of either form, theoperating cable may be pulled upwardly until the external, annularshoulder 36 on the cable guide engages the shoulder I3 whereupon theentire apparatus may be Withdrawn from the well and drilling proceededwith.

However, before proceeding with drilling a uid vconducting pipe 3llshould be lowered into the drill stem. It will pass through the upperand lower bearings 8 and 9 and its lower end will force the defiector 4inwardly or into retracted position as shown in Figure 2 and the lowerend of the pipe 31 will ilnally land on the packing I0. The upper end ofthis pipe 31 has suitable inlets 38 above the packing 8. The drillinguid will therefore be conducted through the pipe 31 and on downwardlythrough the drill stem and will not pass outwardly through the slot 3.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely, while the broadprinciple of the invention will be dened by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a tubular driving member for a well drill havinga guideway therein, of a core taking device adapted to be droppedthrough the driving member and including a tubular shield and a corereceiving barrel in the shield, a deflector arranged to deflect saidcore taking device through the guideway and means for projecting thebarrel from the shield into the side wall of a well bore.

2. 'Ihe combination with a tubular driving member for a drill having aguideway, a support in the driving member, a core taking device adaptedto be dropped through said driving member and to land on, and besupported by, said support, said core taking device including a movablymounted shield and a core barrel in the shield, a deflector effective todeilect the l shield through said guideway, said core barrel beingmovable downwardly relative to the shield and being adapted to penetrateinto the wall oi a well bore upon such downward movement to entrap acore.

3. The combination with a tubular driving member for a drill having aguideway. a support in the driving member, a core taking device adaptedto be dropped through said driving member and to land on, and besupported by, said support, said core taking device including a movablymounted shield and a core barrel in the shield, a deector eiective todeflect the shield through said guideway, said core barrel being movabledownwardly relative to the shield and being adapted to penetrate intothe wall of a well bore upon such downward movement and to entrap a coreand means for withdrawing said core taking device and the entrapped corefrom the driving member.

4. The combination with a tubular driving` member for a well drillshaped to be lowered into a well and having a guideway and a supportabove the guideway, of a core taking device shaped to be dropped throughthe driving member and to land on the support and including a tubularshield and a core barrel within the shield, a deilecwr below theguideway arranged to deflect the core taking device laterally from thedriving member through the guideway and means within the shield inoperative connection with the core barrel and enective to cause the corebarrel to penetrate the formation at the side wallof the bore to form acore within the core barrel.

5. The combination with a tubular driving member for a drill havingdeilecting means. of a core taking device shaped to drop through thedriving member, a support in the driving member arranged to receive andsupport said core taking device, said core taking device including amovably mounted shield and a core barrel therein arranged to bedeiiected by the deiiecting a movably mounted shield and a core barreltherein arranged to be deflected by the deiiecting means into engagementwith the side wall of the bore, said core barrel being movabledownwardly relative to the shield to penetrate the side wall of the boreand to entrap a sample thereof and means within the shield operativelyconnected with the core barrel for assisting such further downwardlymovement of the-core barrel.

7. A core taking device comprising a tubular driving member for a drillshaped to be lowered into a well bore and having a lateral guideway,

core entrapping means shaped to be dropped through the driving memberand to be directed through the guideway into the wall of a bore to formand entrap-a core of the wall formation,

said core entrapping means being withdrawable through the driving memberand a tube adapted to close said guideway and to form acontinuation ofthe liquid conducting conduit through the driving member.

8. A core taking device comprising a tubular driving member for a drillshaped to be lowered into a well bore and having a-lateral guideway,core entrapping means shaped tobe dropped through the driving member andto be directed through the guideway, said core entrapping meansincluding a tubular anchor, a tubular shield`having a pivotalconnectionA with the anchor, a core barrel within the shield and movabledownwardly relative to the shield to penetrate the side wall of the boreand to entrap a core of the side wall formation.

9. A core taking device comprising a tubular driving member for a drillshaped to be lowered into a well bore and having a lateral guideway,

core entrapping means shaped to be dropped through the driving memberand to be directed through the guideway, said core entrapping meansincludinga tubular anchor, a tubular shield having a pivotal connectionwith the anchor, a core barrel within the shield and movable downwardlyrelative to the `shield to penetrate the side wall of the bore and toentrap a core of the side wall formation, means mounted in the anchorfor limiting said relative movement of the bore barrel, said means beingengageable with the anchor for withdrawing the core taking device.

10. A core taking device comprising a tubular driving member for a drillshaped to be lowered into a well bore and having a lateral guideway.y

core entrapping means shaped to be dropped through the driving memberand to be directed through the guideway, said core entrapping meansincluding a tubular anchor, a tubular shield having a pivotal connectionwith thef anchor, a core barrel within the shield and mov'- abledownwardly relative to the shield to penetrate the side Wall of the boreand to entrap a core of the side wall formation, meansmounted in thelanchor. for. limiting said relative movement of the core barrel, saidmeans being engageable with the anchor for withdrawing the core takingdevice and forming a connection for an operating cable whereby the coretaking device may be withdrawn from the driving member.

11. A core taking device comprising a tubular driving member for a drillshaped to be lowered into a'well -bore and having a lateral guideway,core entrapping means shaped to be dropped through the driving memberand to be directed through the guideway, said core entrapping meansincluding a tubular anchor, a tubular shield having a pivotal connectionwith the anchor, a core barrel within the shield and movable downwardlyrelative to the shield to penetrate the sidewall of the bore and toentrap a core of the side wall formation, means mounted in the anchorfo'r limiting said relative move-- ment of the core barrel, said meansbeing engageable with the 'anchor for withdrawing the core takingdevice, andan electrically operable means within the shield, operativelyconnected with the core barrel for assisting the downward movement ofthe core barrel relative to the shield.

12. A core taking device comprising a tubular driving member for a drillshaped to be lowered into a well bore and having a lateral guideway,core entrapping means shaped to be dropped through the drivingmember andto be directed through the guideway, said core` entrapping .meansincluding a tubular anchor, a tubular shield having a piovtal connectionwithy the anchor, a core barrel within the shield and movable downwardlyrelative to the shield to penetrate the side wall of the bore and toentrap a core of the side wall formation and an electrically operablehammer within the shield operatively connected with thecorebarrel forassisting the downward movement of the core barrel relative to theshield.

13. A core `takingdevicecomprising a tubular driving member for. a drillshaped to be lowered into a well bore and having a lateral guideway,core. entrapping means shaped to be dropped through the driving memberand to be directed core'of the side wall formation and an'electricallydriven motor within the shield geared to the core barrel for rotatingthe same upon said downward movement of the-core barrel relative to theshield.

` GEORGE T. OBERWETTER.

